Folding boat



FOLDING BOAT Filed Dec. 14, 1959 Menu/w PET-EA Some-u Wm/Jun Arr:

United States atent 3,056,147 FOLDING BOAT Nicholas Peter Sorrell Straussler, Geneva, Switzerland Clarges St., Piccadilly, London W 1, England) Filed Dec. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 859,252 Claims priority, application Switzerland Nov. 24, 1959 4 Claims. (Cl. 9-2) The present invention has for its object a folding boat comprising two hulls connected one to the other, each formed by two plane side boards tapered at their ends and hinged one with respect to the other along their lower edge by an impervious joint, holding means being provided in order to hold the two said boards in a well defined position one with respect to the other. Said boat distinguishes from other known boats in that each of said hulls shows cross sections having the general shape of a triangle in which the length of the side situated on the outside of the boat is smaller than the length of the side situated towards the inside of the boat.

The attached drawings show schematically and by way of example a folding boat according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the boat in its operating position.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the boat in its folded posi tion.

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross section of the boat, one of its hulls being folded whereas the other is in operating position.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the boat when being in position as shown in FIG. 3.

According to the accompanying drawings, the boat comprises two hulls 1 each being formed by a wide side board 2 and by a narrow side board 3 made out of a semi-flexible material such as ply-wood, synthetic plastic material, glass fiber, or other similar material. The upper edge b of each side board 2 presents a straight middle portion. The lower edges a of the side boards 2 have the same shape as those of the side boards 3 and are hinged one with respect to the other by means of a continuous impervious joint 4.

The impervious joint 4 is constituted by a shaped piece having the general form of a U each wing of which is provided with a longitudinal groove in which the lower edge a of a board 2 or 3 is engaged. This joint is of a pliant and elastic material sufiiciently flexible to constitute a continuous hinge but sufiiciently strong to resist the stresses and wear through abrasion to which the said joint is normally subjected during the use of the boat.

Each of said wide side boards 2 is hinged along its straight middle portion by means of hinges 6 on a central piece 7. In this manner, the two hulls of the boat are coupled one to the other.

The boat is further provided with holding means which tend to hold the two side boards 2, 3 of each hull in their operating or open position. These holding means are constituted by panels 8 which present a retaining surface 5. Panels 8 are hinged with respect to the central part 7 by means of hinges 9. The panels 8 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 cover the middle portion of the boat only, whereas those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 cover the boat over its Whole length.

A fixing device, comprising cross pieces 10 connected one to the other by means of rods 11 and pivoted on the central part 7, enables maintaining the upper edges b of the side boards 3 against the panels 8. This fixing device is further provided with locking means '12 fixing the operating or open position of the said fixing device. These locking means comprise hooks pivoted to the outer ends of the cross pieces 10 or side boards 3 which engage nails, screws or eyelets in cross pieces 10 or side boards 3.

In the embodiment shown, the curve of the lower edges 3,055,147 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 a of the side boards 2, 3 does not have the same shape at the front as at the rear end of the boat. This pecularity enables obtaining better stability against pitching.

FIG. 3 illustrates clearly the difference of width of the side boards 2 and 3. In fact, this enables enlargement of the distance between the centers of gravity of each hull without any modification of the width of the boat. A much greater stability of the boat is: thus obtained, especially against rolling.

In other embodiments (not represented) of the folding boat, it may further comprise floors formed by plane elements for example made of ply-wood which rest on supports fixed to the inner face of the side boards 2, 3.

In order to give a greater lift to the boat, floats can be fixed, on the outside faces of the side boards 2, 3. These floats can be fastened either in a permanent or in a removable way on said side boards.

'From the foregoing, it is clear that all parts and pieces of the folding boat constitute a unit, the: different parts of which are hinged one to the other.

The operation of the boat described to an operating position is the following:

The boat being in its folded position, as shown in FIG. 2, the following operations have to be performed in order to open it;

(1) The panels 8 are moved into the plane of the central part 7 by a rotation of around the axis of the hinges 9.

(2) The side boards 3 of both hulls are pulled away one from the other, which causes, on the one hand, the side boards 2 to rotate around the hinges 6 and on the other hand, the spacing apart of the two said side boards 2, 3 of each hull, which causes the opening of each hull. During this second sequence, the side boards 3 rotate with respect to the side boards 2 along continuous, non rectilinear hinges constituted by the impervious joints 4. The consequence of this relative rotation is to curve the side boards 2, 3 and to give the hulls their operating form shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The inside of the upper edge of each side board 3 rests on the retaining surface 5 of the corresponding panel 8, so that each hull is maintained in operating position.

(3) The operator turns the cross pieces 10 of the fixing device 90 around their middle point which is pivoted on the central part 7 and fixes them in operating position by means of the locking means 12 securing these cross pieces to the side boards 3.

The folding boat is then in the operating or opened position and in order to fold the boat the reverse operations are to be performed.

In the rest or folded position, the boat takes up a very small space due to the fact that, when folded, all its constitutive parts are parallel planes.

The boat described presents many advantages over the existing ones, the principal of which are the following:

(a) The difference of width of the side boards 2, 3 causes the center of gravity of each of said hulls to be located near the outside of the boat which causes in its turn the stability of said boat to be especially good.

(12) When folding the boat the different parts thereof move one with respect to the other, but none of them is unfastened from the whole. Either, in the folded position or in the operating position, all the parts and pieces of the boat are mechanically connected together. This is an important feature for a good and safe operating boat. In fact, the risk of loosing parts is completely suppressed. In other known folding boats said risk is great since one has to take care of bolts and the like which are generally necessary for fixing the boat in an operating position. Thus the boat described has very great operating reliability.

(0) The space taken up by the boat when folded is very small which enables an easy and economic transportation or storing thereof. Further, the form of the folded boat is advantageous for the storing or transportation, due to its flatness.

An embodiment of the folding boat has been described as an example, but it goes Without saying that many embodiments may be foreseen Without departing from the scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. A folding boat comprising at least two hulls connected together, each hull comprising two side walls tapering at each end, one of said side walls being wider than the other, a central part pivotally connecting a portion of one of said side Walls thereto, an elastically deformable member pivotally connecting the lower edges of said side walls, holding means pivotally connected to said central part for holding the upper ends of said side walls of said hulls in an operating position, said hulls in an operating position defining a triangular configuration, and fixing means pivotally connected to said central part including locking means 'for maintaining and locking said holding means in place while in an operating position.

2. A boat according to claim 1 in which said holding means include panels having one end pivotally connected to said central part and another end presenting a retaining surface against which one of said side walls abut, said panels covering at least part of said hulls in operating position.

3. A boat according to claim 1 in which said fixing means consist of cross pieces pivoted to said central part, and rods connected to the outer ends of the cross pieces.

4. A boat according to claim 1 in which said locking means consist of hooks for connecting said fixing means to one of said side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,689 Hayes July 24, 1883 1,062,181 Nyboe May 20, 1913 2,745,118 Potts May 15, 1956 2,917,754 Gunderson Dec. 22, 1959 2,977,606 Strausslcr Apr. 4, 1961 

